If you were wondering who exactly is the star-studded cast of the upcoming Barbie movie played, the answer is simple. For the most part, they all play Barbie and Ken! Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling lead the cast as a certain Barbie and Ken, but many of the other actors play different variations of the iconic dolls. After all, Barbie comes in many different variations – and she can do it all!
The posters really play this off. With every actress who plays Barbie, there is a description of what she does. For example, Emma Mackey’s Barbie has a Nobel Prize in physics, while Dua Lipa’s Barbie is a mermaid. Issa Rae’s Barbie is President and Alexandra Shipp’s Barbie is a celebrated author! Barbie really can be anything and everything!
Meanwhile, the Kens are there to look good and have fun. He’s Ken! The perfect manly woman for intrepid girl boss Barbie. (Checking out A Barbie life in a dream house for the perfect illustration of this dynamic). Besides the Ryan Gosling Ken there is also a Simu Liu Ken, a Scott Evans Ken, a Kingsley Ben-Adir Ken and a Ncuti Gatwa Ken.
However, there are one few non-Barbie and Ken related roles. Emerald Fennel plays Midge, Barbie’s best friend who was released in 1963 a controversial pregnant version released in 2002. Michael Cera plays Allen, Midge’s husband. There are also a few human characters, played by America Ferrera, Ariana Greenblatt, Will Ferrell, Jamie Demetriou and Connor Swindells, with Helen Mirren as the narrator.
Barbie is directed by Greta Gerwig, the mastermind behind 2019’s Little Women and that of 2017 Lady Bird. It will be in cinemas from July 21.